Improvement in machines for picking curled hair



4 Sheets--Sheet 1.

L. F. LANNAY & JAMES WEBB.

Improvement in Machines for Picking Cu rled Hair, &c.

Patented May 28,1872.

4 Sheets--Sheet 2.

L. F. LANNAY & JAMES WEBB. Improvement inMachines for Picking Curled Hair, 81c.

Paitented May 28,1872.

INVENTORS: Ly

AM PHD/0 -L/7H06RAPHIL 0a :1. Y. lasso/11v: 's PROCESS) r 4 Sheets--Sheet 3.

L. F. LANNAYY & JAMES WEBB. Improvement in Machines for Picking Curled Hair, &c.

.N() ]27;354 Patented May 28,1872.

s wvEwToRa AM. mamymosmpmv w. M )1 (0550/11/53 PRansss) UNITED STATES" PATENT QFFIcE.

LOUIS F. LANNAY AND JAMES WEBB, OF BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR PICKING CURLED HAIR, &c.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 127,354, dated May 28, 187

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LoUIs F. LANNAY and J AMlES VVEBB, both of the county of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented certain Improvements in Machinery for Picking and Garding Gurled Hair and other like fibrous articles, of which the following is a specification; and we do hereby declare that the same is a full, clear, and exact description of our said invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon. c

In the following descriptive outline of our invention it will be seen that it relates to a machine for the purposes above named, havin g, together with other parts hereinafter enumerated, two drums or cylinders provided with teeth, which drums or cylinders are made to revolve in the same direction, the teeth of the one acting in conjunction with those of the other in the picking and carding process for which they are designed. The first'drum or cylinder revolves within a stationary bearing, and during the operation of picking and carding never ceases its revolutions. The second drum or cylinder, which is smaller in diameter and runs more slowly than the other, is mount- I ed upon a shaft having its bearings of eccentrio character, which allow the second drum or cylinder to be adjustable. Fixed over the top of the first drum or cylinder, and running in the same direction, although much more .slowly, are three small rollers, also provided with teeth, which are designed to assist in the picking and carding process. The hair, after having undergone a preparation hereinafter described, is placed upon'an endless cloth tray, which moves toward two irregularly-constructed toothed rollers, by which the hair is caught, and thence brought into contact with the teeth and surface of the first drum or cylinder. .The three small rollers revolving immediately over the first drum or cylinder, are provided with teeth projecting into the spaces between the teeth thereof, and which pick or card that portion of the hair not touched by the teeth of the first drum or cylinder. The hair having collected upon the teeth and surface of the first drum or cylinder, so that it comes into contact with the teeth of the second drum or cylinder, it is immediately taken up by them. They,

like those of the small rollers, project into the spaces existing between the teeth of the first drum or cylinder. When the hair has collected upon the teeth and wrapped around the are eccentric. Attached to these bearings,

and eccentric with the shaft of the second drum or cylinder, are small gear-wheels, which are made to revolve by means of foot-treadles having attached'to their top toothed segments gearing into the wheels. Bypushin g the foottreadles to a certain position the second drum or cylinder is thrown apart from the first, a sufficient space being created between them to prevent the teeth of either coming into contact with the hair upon the teeth and surface of the other. The teeth of the second drum or cylinder are thus brought so as'to operate in conjunction with a stationary comb or series of teeth, the teeth of the second drum or cylinder projecting into the spaces existing between the teeth of the comb. A quick reverse movement is given to the second drum or cylinder by means of a hand-wheel upon its shaft, and in its revolutions the hair upon the teeth and surface of the second drum or cylinder is caught by the teeth of the stationary comb. The hair thus separated and disengaged from the second drumor cylinderfalls upon a tray beneath, and thence to the floor. In the further description of our invention which follows, due reference must be had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of our invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the adjusting mechanism as applied to the'second drum or "cylininder. Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged views of the feeding-rollers.

Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts of our invention.

A is the frame of the machine. B is the first drum or cylinder, of which I) b are the teeth.

These teeth are formed of round steel,with sharpened. points, and do not project from the V the pulleyD. By the agency of the small pulley d upon the shaft of the first drum or cyl-i inder, the pulley d, and driving belt d, motion is imparted in the direction indicated to the center one of the three rollers O, and thence, by other pulleys and belts, to the other two rollers O, which are all driven in the same direction. The rollers O are adjustable in their bearings, which project from and slide within the semicircular frame E. G G are'irregularlyconstructed toothed rollers,which, revolvingin the opposite directions indicated,oarry the hair to the'teeth of the first drum or cylinder. Motion is transmitted to the lower roller G from the shaft of the first drum or cylinder by means of the pulley e thereon, the pulley 6 upon the shaft of the roller, and their belt. A recipro-- cal-motion is given to the upper roller by the lower one through the agency of the small gears g. ries of pointed or toothed rings, h, which are separated a short distance from each other upon their shafts by washers h, and are so constructed that a view from one end of the roller to the other will exhibit an appearance of irregularity existing in the positions of thepoints' or teeth. The points or teeth h of the tworollers G are further so disposed of that those of the one roller project into the space formed by the separating-washers it between the teeth of the other. The object of theentire disposition of these points or teeth is to imitate as far as practicable the position and operation of the humanfingers in a similar capacity, the

particular uses of which are the tearing'apart and separating of the fibers of the material be-. fore it is subjected to the picking and carding process. F is the endless cloth tray, which, during the operation of the machine, constant- 1y moves in the direction indicated. It is caused to move by the revolutions of the'shaft f, the pulley of which, f, is driven from that, 9', upon the shaft of the lower roller G. The

tray in its movement revolves and returns over the shaft or spindlef. L is the second drum or cylinder, of which Z are the teeth. They'are similarly formed and placed at a like angle to the surface from which they project as those of the first drum or cylinder. They are, however, so distributed as to extend within the spaces existing between the teeth of the first drum or cylinder.

Motion is given to the second drum or cylinder in the following manner: A pulley, D, upon the shaft of the first drum or cylinder,

' drives, by its belt, a large pulley, M, upon a counter-shaft. Upon this same shaft is a -flanched pulley, 'm,'small in diameter, which in turn drives, by its belt, a larger fianched pulley, N, upon the shaft of the second drum' These rollersare composed of ase-.

or cylinder, giving motion thereto. While the shaft upon which the second drum or cylinder l L revolves is central within it, the shaft is itself within eccentric bearings at. These eccentric bearings rest within pedestals 0 attached to the frame of the machine.

Connected-to the eccentric bearings 12 n are small gear-wheelsp p. Gearing into these wheels are toothed segments of circles P P, one upon each side of the frame of the machine, and, being connected with bodies P, are joined together by tie-rods r r. bodies P have hearings or pivots 19, upon which they vibrate. At the lower extremities of the bodies P of the segments are double foot-treadles P, either half of which is to be. I

used with respect to thedirection thesegments are required to move. By pushing the treadle over to the right or left to the extent it is allowed to vibrate, a part of a revolution is given to the segmental parts P P and a half revohr tion to the gears 19 p. By this motion the sec- 7 end drum or cylinder L can either be brought toward the first-drum or cylinder B orthe stationary comb or series of teeth Q. The

teeth q of this series, it will be seen, project slightly downward, and come within the spaces existing between the teeth of "the second drum or cylinder.

are first spun by machinery into twists, then steamed, and afterward partially untwisted'. The hair is then torn apart into suitable lengths. WVe will now suppose the machine to be in motion, and the picking and carding process begun. The hair is first placed in the condition described across the endless cloth tray F, by which itis carried to the rollers G. By the operation of these, in consequence of their peculiar construction,hereinbefore described, the twist is separated or torn apart, without injury, however, to the fibers of the hair. The hair is now caught upon the teeth of the first drum or cylinder revolving in the direction indicated. The teeth of the rollers C also assist in the process, and by their revolutions prevent what might ensue were they stationary-the clogging of the hair among the various teeth. After the hair hascollected upon the teeth and surface of the first drum or cylinder, the teeth of thesecond, revolving in the same direction, now operate upon it, and by their position further assist in and complete the process. The hair upon the teethand surface of the second drum or cylinder is now ready to be removed therefrom and entirely disengaged from the machine. The treadle is thrown over in the direction indicated, and the teeth I brought into such position with reference to those, q, of the'stationary'comb Qas to project into the spaces q, as represented. At the same time, and by the same movement, the fl'anched pulley N is brought nearer to the pulley M upon the counter-shaft, and the driving-belt q consequently slackened, which These causes the revolutions of the second drum or cylinder to cease. All other parts of the machine, however, continue in motion without interruption. A reverse motion is then quickly given to the second drum or cylinder L by means of the hand-wheel B, when, by the operation of the teeth Z and q in conjunction with each other, the hair is loosened from the teeth and surface of the second drum or cylinder, and is caused to fall upon the tray S, by which it is guided from the machine to the floor. The tray S extends the entire length of the machine under the drums B and L; its use, among others, being to shield the machinery from dust arising from the floor. The tops of the drums B and L are covered by a wiregauze, T, we finding it necessary to provide apertures through which. the dust from the hair and other sources may rise from the machine. Otherwise the quality of the hair would be damaged by the dust settling among its fibers.

It is obvious from the foregoing description of our invention that it is our object to produce a machine for a picking and carding process which shall be continuous in its movements, and that in the production of this machine we have accomplished the following results The fibers of the hair are first separated as by human fingers, then thoroughly picked and carded, and, lastly, the lot which is finished is removed from the machine while the separating, picking, and carding process is proceed- 2. The combination of the two rollers G G,

constructed and operating together substantially in the manner shown and described, and for the purpose set forth. 7 I

3. The toothed segments P P, with their bodies 1? P and treadles P P, connected by the tie-rods r r, vibrating on the pivots 10 1),

as described, in combination with the small .gears 9 p and eccentric bearings n a, substantially as shown and described, and for the purposes specified.

. LOUIS F. LANNAY.

JAMES WEBB. Witnesses to LANNAYs signature:

P. R. MITCHELL, N. MARGHANT. Witnesses to WEBBS signature:

.WM. H. BROWN, 0. M. HUGHES. 

